1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to outboard motors for use with boats and more specifically to such outboard motors that are electrically powered.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Electrically powered outboard motors are commonly used to cause boats to move upon a body of water. Various types of such outboard motors have heretofore been developed. The following U.S. patents disclose such electrically powered outboard motor means that allow the direction of the boat to be remotely controlled as by the feet of the user thereof: Buchet, U.S. Pat. No. 1,887,540; Harris, U.S. Pat. No. 2,877,733; Scivally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,052,204; and Fortson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,580,212. The above patents, taken as a whole, do not disclose, teach or suggest the present invention. While these outbroad motor means are useful, many persons prefer to control the outboard motor by hand to thus have direct hand control over the maneuverability of the outboard motor rather than having indirect control by way of foot operated pedals or the like.
One prevalent problem with the majority of present electrically powered outboard motor means which are controlled directly by hand is the fact that when the drive means of the outboard motor is turned to maneuver the boat, the electrical wires between the electrical storage battery and the drive means limits the amount of rotation of the drive means and often tangles up and winds about portions of the outboard motor means. Price, U.S. Pat. No. 2,079,871, discloses an electrically powered outboard motor which is controllable directly by hand and which overcomes the above-mentioned problem by attaching the wires coming from the electric storage battery to a metal ring which is rotatably mounted about a portion of the outboard motor which rotates with the drive means so that the drive means can be rotated without causing the wires from the electric storage battery to likewise rotate. A second metal ring is fixedly mounted to the portion of the outboard motor that rotates with the drive means in contact with the first metal ring so that electric power can be transferred therethrough. Electric power is then transferred from the second metal ring to the drive means. The major problem with the device disclosed by Price is that when it is necessary to adjust the depth of the drive means in the water by raising the drive means relative to the boat, the electrical contact between the first and second metal rings will be broken.